With the gals away for the summer, and Copenhagen a dreary mess of rain and cold punctuated with wind, I thought I’d get away to sunny England for a long weekend to see our friends Paul & Sharon Roberts.

Paul Roberts drinking an ale

While it rained like crazy in Bristol (did you know that it is a little scary to hit your bike brakes hard in the rain?), I had a blast. Paul showed me the town, and a few good pubs, on a private walking tour in search of Banksys. We went to a grocery store, and I had a bit of culture shock: it was neatly and fully stocked with multiple options in each categoy, and the prices were not usurious. After a short drive through the English countryside (which is nearly unparalled in its beauty), we wandered with Sharon through the charming town of Wells, which has a stunning cathedral. And I experience a real Anglican church service (until recently Paul was a vicar of two churches in Bristol, and a canon at the Bristol Cathedral).

Wells Cathedral

And we hung out with their great kids: Jonathan who is studying History & Philosophy at Sheffield and full of vim & vigor, and Caroline who is going off to Manchester (she hopes) to study medical biology, but first is going to trek across southern England this week as part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

We also toured the Banksy exhibit at the Bristol Museum. Banksy (more info here and here) is a famous graffiti artist who has perfected a stencil method that allows him to create complex, multi-colored graffiti paintings within minutes.

Banksy Astronaut

Because the British police would like to arrest him, the art show at the Bristol Museum was kept a secret until the installation was complete, and when Banksy put it up, he was accompanied by dozens of identically dressed men so no one would be able to determine who was Banksy. His art is clever, well accomplished, and branches out beyond graffiti wall painting.

Banksy Lion Tamer

There’s more photos of Bristol (including a house where John Wesley lived) here. And more photos of Banksy’s work here.